The Half Birthday Party Cra Cra Craze

Is this really where we are?  Is this really what we’ve come to?  Is this not the epitome of spoiled, over-indulged parenting?   I can’t wrap my mind around what we’re doing here…..is this really gonna be a “thing” from now on?   Yes.

Seems the latest cool thing to do is to celebrate half birthdays.  Now this trend has been around a while but its gaining momentum into the “widely accepted” arena.  Six months after your real birthday is your half birthday.  It’s another excuse to pamper and spoil your kids with the full blown party essentials and gifts so they have twice the days in the year when it’s all about them.  

Now we’re not just talking about those poor, deprived children whose birthdays are within weeks of Christmas (or any other big holiday) so that they get lost in the shuffle and feel their special day doesn’t get the pageantry it deserves.  We’re talking about everyone…everyone has a half birthday!

If you think hard enough you can come up with an excuse why they need this.  Even if they don’t have a December birthday.  Like, maybe, they have a summer birthday (terrible) and they don’t get to have cupcakes at school for their birthday like the other kids whose birthdays are during the school year. How horrible to have to have a summer birthday at the pool, in the sunshine….right?  Or maybe, they have a winter birthday and they like the pool idea, it’s just no fun being cold on your day.  Or maybe, little Johnny just didn’t get all the things he wanted on that last birthday.

 People, this is a made-up day!  You only have one birthday…. That’s why it’s called a “birth-day”. It is what it is.  Isn’t this just perpetuating the narcissistic attitude that kids seem to have in spades already?  They already have a “graduation” from every school grade from kindergarten through high school complete with all the parties and gifts. We already have potty training parties and first moon parties. 

They get trophies and ribbons for every athletic event they participate in, win, lose or draw. Now you can add to the “all about me” attitude of Easter, Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, beginning of school/end of school and Halloween with an extra birthday!  And don’t try to say that you will just switch to celebrate the half birthday only and not celebrate on the actual birthday….we know better than that; you’ll do both.  Because that’s why you’re doing it.  Ridiculous.  What’s next?  Quarterly birthdays?  A “coming out” party every time they lose a tooth??

Parents please… using the toilet or getting your period is not an achievement. It’s part of growing up, a rite of passage that everyone has to go through just like moving on to the next grade in school. Not everything in life is a trophy winning, cake eating, party hat wearing event.  If you treat everything like it is, your child’s actual note-worthy achievements pale by comparison and you raise kids that don’t understand why the world doesn’t celebrate everything they do when they grow up.

We don’t need this new generation to feel more entitled that they already do! It’s so over the top already.

I call BS!  Let’s get back to reality and teach kids to appreciate what they have and truly achieve. Not everybody can be the best….or the winner…or the birthday kid…. except when they are.

Pregnancy Paparazzi:What's up with ultrasound parties?

We’ve had baby showers since before anyone can remember anything else that was done to celebrate an upcoming birth. Next, we ramped it up with Daddy Diaper parties and then it was gender reveal parties. Now the latest…? Live sonogram parties! OVERSHARE!

This has been called, “The latest rage for self-important pregnant women”. It’s no longer good enough to have cake with pink or blue filling or an ultrasound picture to show around to family and friends (if not posted to FaceBook). Now we need a live audience in the room for the actual sonogram? Do we really need to get this intimately involved with the mom-to-be’s pregnancy?

What’s next? The conception achieved reveal where friends gather for the actual pregnancy test so they can get the news the minute the strip turns blue? I completely understand the excitement that surrounds pregnancy and the ultrasound is an intimate milestone of that but why do some people seem to need others to validate their most precious moments?

This also begs another question: what if there’s a problem? This happens more than people realize and today ultrasounds are used to diagnose many disorders and malformations. What do you do/say if it becomes apparent that the fetus has not developed properly or, God forbid, there’s no heartbeat? The difficulty of getting that message would be magnified tremendously by an entire roomful of party goers.

While it’s generally contended that an ultrasound is safe for a baby, medical experts caution against having these parties. The American College of Radiology and the Food and Drug Administration discourage having ultrasounds purely for entertainment and not for medical reasons.

If you’re still not detracted from having one of these “baby bump” parties, it’ll set you back about $200-600 depending on who you get to come to your private home. That would buy an awful lot of diapers! These services are popping up all over the U.S. Many sonographers have package deals where they bring and set-up the examination table, imaging equipment and screens for viewing at the party.

Is this the time for a party atmosphere? “Need another drink?”, “Try the canapés” and “Oh, How did you like my uterus?” Is nothing private anymore? Some things should still be intimate so thanks, but no thanks, I’d rather not be invited to your sonogram!

(BTW: the sonogram pic above is Beyonce's, just shared with HBO recently. Didn't you recognize Blue Ivy?)

{If you find yourself invited to a bump party or a traditional baby shower, might I suggest a http://www.WickedCoolBaby.com gift set or garment as a gift? Our designs are funny, cool and perfect for giving something adorable to the Mom-to-be!}

Halloween 2012 - No Tricks, only Treats!

Your kids will never know how different Halloween is for them than it was for us. Hours out by ourselves and our parents never worried. Did you take the pillowcase off your bed? Yeah, me too. Even though Halloween is different now, new traditions have started and we can still keep children safe while letting them enjoy the fun of dressing up and those wonderful treats.

Here are some tips on keeping your little ones safe:

1. Make sure costumes are the correct size, not dragging the ground. Masks should be easy to breathe in and see where they’re going. Accessories not to bulky, sharp or dangerous should the child fall. Light costumes are better and to make your child easier to see, they can carry a flashlight or wear glow sticks around their neck.

2. Keep the kids in groups and stay on the sidewalks. Always cross streets on the crosswalks and walked on blocks facing the traffic.

3. Have a plan before you leave the house and make sure you take a cell phone.

4. If your child is trick or treating accompanied by another adult, make sure they know who is in charge and are comfortable with the person. For younger children, the adult should accompany the child up to the door.

5. Teach children to stay in well lit areas, don’t take shortcuts, and only enter homes with your prior permission. Tell them never to approach a vehicle even if it looks empty and stay with the group.

6. Tell your kids if anyone tries to grab them, do everything, scream, kick and yell “This person is trying to take me!” or “This is not my Mother/Father!” to draw attention to themselves.

7. Consider attending home or organized community parties as a good alternative to trick or treating.

8. Always check your kids treats before they eat them. Throw away any candy not in its original wrapper or pieces that look like they’ve been opened or tampered with.

A little common sense goes a long way. Plan out your route and stay out of unfamiliar areas or dark alleys and parking lots. Have a fun safe Halloween!

Potty Parties: film at 11

What about these potty parties I keep hearing about? Do we really need to throw a party for a child who learns to control a bodily function? Potty parties are just another over-achieving mommy’s idea of an event that needs to be memorialized with a special party for their special child. Ridiculous!

People, as a parent you should celebrate this event with your child; hugs all around, maybe some candy and stickers, maybe even a cake, AT HOME, with the family. This is not and should not be a public event. We need to reel in this trend of having a party for EVERYTHING your child does and take a step back so they can have realistic expectations of life.

And now, as if the party thing isn’t enough, we have the I-really-must-post-this-for-the-world-to-see parents on social network/video sites! Yikes!

I realize this is a milestone in your child’s life but is it really public-video-YouTube-worthy? This has got to be worse than the party because at least the party is over at some point. I see this stuff and I am SOOO thankful that YouTube didn’t exist in my day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhdyh6hSdgs

I feel bad for these kids because these videos of them pooping will NEVER go away, ever. The parents think they’re adorable but I’m wondering if the children featured are gonna love the idea of it when they’re older and say….dating? Shouldn’t these types of videos, if the parents MUST tape them, stay in the family vault somewhere?

How are you celebrating the potty training milestone at your house? Keeping it in the family or “going public”?

Real men have diaper parties

Modern men no longer sit by the wayside and casually watch as the women plan and execute baby showers for their children-to-be. But they don’t have to bake cupcakes and string crepe paper either. They can celebrate the upcoming milestone of fatherhood in their own way….with alcohol, food, sports and bad jokes! Congratulations to go around.

The idea is for the guests to bring boxes of diapers in lieu of gifts; no wrapping paper, no games, no registry, no hassle. It’s a perfect way for guys to support their friend transitioning to a new part of his life.

So fire up the grill and chill the beer but don’t forget to remind the guys to bring different sizes. Babies have a tendency to grow.